Rich's Tongfamily (Richtong.net add-on)

Well, now that we have a farm of a zillion HomeKit devices. Going away for a while reveals the weaknesses. The problem so far is that these devices have what I would call computer reliability but not it should just work like a lightbulb reliability. Some examples: UniFi Protect and Access. The biggest disappointments. The…

Well, it’s been all over the internet, but Apple did launch some truly powerful chips in their new MacBook Pro lineup. The M1 Pro is 10 cores (8 performance and 2 efficiency) with 16 neural engine cores and between 16 up to 32 graphics cores. Plus up to 64GB of memory. What’s a nerd to…

OK, I know, I know, I still have two sites that are on multiuser WordPress (in addition to this site). I’ve migrated just about everything but two sites. But a good reminder was the JetPack reported the three sites down (the umbrellas sites and the two remaining subsites) on DigitalOcean. As a reminder the quick…

If you are thinking about getting a projector instead of flat screen. Basically the way that the math works is that a 1000 lumen projector will give you 1000 lux against a square meter. Or to do another conversion 1 lux is 1 lumen per square cm. But there are lots of measures of what…

Well two things are true in life Hanlon’s Razor is not a bad one. Never attribute to malice that which is adequately exposing by stupidity. Hanlon’s Razor But absolute favorite rule for working in big companies is: Always postpone meetings with time wasting morons Dilbert channeled by Scott Adam’s And I could resist. Thanks Calvin…

Ok, hopefully you will never have to do this but we had a flat screen installed and during COVID we wanted to get a new one but didn’t want anyone at home so off to figure out to uninstall a flat screen The main trick is that behind the TV there is a latch and…

Ok starting with the pandemic and thanks to a great sale from Amazon I got a Kindle Paperwhite. Its the first kindle I’ve gotten since the very first original one with the keyboard. It was slow but it had a Sprint connection. In truth I never used it very much and I thought that the…

Well in the continuing quest to make this a HomeKit house, we spent some time looking for reliable garage openers that can be used with the Apple home application. There are quite a few smart garage door openers (and Wirecutter) but the best choice is not obvious. The Tailwind system is the most reliable because…

Well, again about a year ago and fixing the house was a good chance to learn a few things about making things work: Silicone vs Acrylic Sealants. The long and short of it is that in damp climate and where there is rain, silicone forms a water impermeable rubber seal. You can’t paint it but…

Maybe you are wondering why is Tong posting so Much well it’s simple. In the switch to iOS 15 suddenly I have a count of open tabs. I keep a tab when I want to note it for later. Let’s just saying that seeing that I have 286 open tabs (and factoids) is pretty daunting.…